Accident claims the life of an Elsberry student

At approximately 6:35 a.m. Monday morning an accident involving four vehicles resulted in the death of Elsberry High School Student Jillian Young.

Jillian, 17, of Elsberry, was passenger with her father, William Young, 62, of Lake Saint Louis, in his 2008 Hyundai Sonata.

The accident occurred along Hwy. 79 just south of Hwy. 47 in Winfield and according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report, the vehicle being driven by William Young, struck the rear end of a stopped 1992 Toyota Camry driven by Kenny Mitchell, 27, of Foley. Mitchell’s Camry then struck the stopped 2004 Ford Ranger driven by Joshua Magruder, 25 of Winfield. Magruder’s vehicle then spun into a 1996 Chevrolet S-10. (Name and age were not provided in the report).

Jillian was pronounced dead by the Lincoln County Coroner and according to the crash report all occupants were wearing a safety device. No other injuries were reported.

Superintendent of Elsberry School District Tim Reller, Ed.D, released the following statement regarding the death of Young, “Jillian, an active member of our school and community, was an 11th grade student at Elsberry High School. We are all shocked and saddened by the loss of Jillian Young. In an effort to help students and families, who may be affected, the district had extra counseling resources available and they will [remain as such] as long as they are needed. Parents who feel their students may need extra counseling are encouraged to contact the high school office. We also want to let the Lovelace and Young families know the entire district is deeply saddened by this tragic loss. Our hearts go out to them during this difficult time.”

Reaching out

In next weeks issue of The Elsberry Democrat, we would like to make a memorial section, in memory of Jillian Young. We are asking that any and everybody submit their stories, memories, photos or whatever they have of Young to us. Either e-mail us at ebdreporter@sbcglobal.net, call us at 573-520-8198, come by the office located at 106 A North Third Street in Elsberry or Facebook us at https://facebook.com/The-Elsberry-Democrat.We are all hurt by this tragedy and our prayers go out to all those affected by this loss.